Olympics Notes

The BBC is adding an on-screen device to its Olympics coverage which will allow presenters to "point to graphics and move them around the screen." The device is called Kinetrak and designed by Mammoth Graphics. It will be used for the first time on BBC1 and BBC3 during the Games this summer. BBC London 2012 Dir of Coverage Roger Mosey said that Kinetrak will be used to illustrate what events can be seen where and when. Mosey said, "It will help you find Graeco-Roman wrestling if you want to find it" (GUARDIAN, 6/26).

MEDIA ANALYSIS: In London, Robert Booth looks at the media coverage of the Summer Games and notes organizers are expecting up to 28,000 members of the media to descend on London --"almost three times more than the number of athletes competing."America's NBC TV alone is sending 2,700 people. The IOC has accredited journalists "from 28 more countries than the Beijing Games" in '08 (GUARDIAN, 6/26).

PUTTING UP THE MEDIA: Robert Booth also reported that journalists from the "world's poorest countries" are being offered free accommodation during the London Olympics in rooms "provided by members of the congregation of St. Bride's church on Fleet Street." Accredited journalists who cannot afford a hotel room are being matched with supporters of the church that styles itself "the spiritual home of journalism." More than 10 journalists, including three from Togo, Croatia and Romania, have "so far been allocated a bed" under the plan (GUARDIAN, 6/26).

HEART AND SEOUL: In Seoul, a sports film festival marking a show of support for Korean athletes in the London Olympics will be held from July 2-5 at the Daehan Cinema in Chungmuro, Seoul. The opening film is "Forever The Moment," based on the true story of the Korean women's handball team (CHOSUN ILBO, 6/26).

SOCHI SECURITY: XINHUA news agency reported that Russia plans to form an air defense force to "ensure the security" of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. The special force will "provide security on all levels" including the Black Sea areas. The force will include anti-aircraft missile systems and close-range launchers (XINHUA, 6/26).